For
those who did not have the information and don’t live in Chennai – I have
some information as well as my observations to share. A three-day dance
festival was organized by Usha Vasanthakumar and Unnikrishnan under the
banner “MAARGA”. According to them the unknown talent hidden in all corners
of our country will be given opportunity through their festival. This understandably
includes them and I hope they will continue to go on the right path regarding
the selection of performances and artistes.

Mohiniattam
– Kalamandalam KshemavathyThis ambitious
event started off with a Mohiniattam performance by Kalamandalam Kshemavathy.
As expected there was poor attendance for a simple reason that Mohiniattam
does not “Sell” too well in the city of Chennai. The Mohiniattam exponent
did not seem to worry too much about this (thin attendance). It was evident
that the dancer had the experience and involvement. She did not seem to
be in any hurry to impress the audience with Angika abhinaya (which can
be exerting). In my estimation the age factor and fitness level does not
matter too much for a Mohiniattam dancer since it is not a very strenuous
art form. In the entire programme, a dancer obviously noticed either a
‘Tha Thai Thai Tha’ or a ‘Dhi Dhi Thai’ adavu and the tempo of the dance
remained the same throughout the recital. She danced gracefully which is
not new for a Mohiniattam dancer.

Like most art
forms from Kerala, Mohiniattam is dominated by ‘Mukha Abhinaya’(facial
expression). Lack of Nritta (intricate body and footwork) does not seem
to help this art form to flourish elsewhere. Before Thillana, the dancer
performed a lullaby. We didn’t need one since all the items were in ‘Vilambhakala’
(slow paced) already. I thought we needed a dance to wake up and definitely
not a lullaby! Most of the time we go home totally perturbed after a performance
for various reasons. In this case it was peaceful and we (audience) did
not have to rack our brains. Excellent musicians accompanied the dancer.

Prakruti The organizers
performed on the second day of the festival. This programme with nature
as the theme had recorded commentary, music and display of video projection
as the backdrop. Overall, the performance was interesting; one could witness
brilliant choreographies in parts. Lots of contemporary ideas with blank
expression and unnecessary Kalari movements were incorporated. The transition
from the commentary to dance throughout the programme was either in a Pushpanjali
or a Thillana format. It was an action packed performance forgetting the
theme they had chosen.

The dancers
began with a Pushpanjali with lamps in their hands, while the projection
had bright light showing broad daylight; whereas, the lighting for the
dancers was subdued to give an effect to the lit lamps. Sometimes we go
overboard with multimedia ideas while the audiences are confused as to
where to look. Agni – one of the five elements (Panchabhootha), was depicted
by the dancers showing a dowry scene, while the projection showed a rocket
being launched! I wonder what the connection was? There were sequences
where the dance, theme and video projection were well coordinated. Like
the sequence where the video projection showed lots of birds while the
dancers depicted birds too. Such sequences should have occurred more often.
The video projection on its own made more sense with regard to the theme.

The male dancer’s
vigour and fitness proved that they are vital to any performance. On the
whole, the effort put in by each and every one needs to be applauded. Talking
about the music, it was extremely repetitive to listen to Pushpanjalis
and Thillanas throughout the performance. Quality of the recording was
not up to the mark as well. In my opinion, music has to be scored by a
professional musician.

NRITYAGRAM’S
Odissi EnsembleThe third
day of the festival was obviously the best of the MAARGA series. Chennai
audiences missed or probably overlooked NRITYAGRAM’S Odissi Ensemble. It
was sad to see the turnout in audience for one of the best and most professional
dance ensemble in our country. The dancers had military discipline. Precision
in movements, coordination and choreography was breathtaking and it was
a very refreshing experience. One could see architecture in their dance.
Those who have not seen Khajuraho and Konark could see the sculptures come
alive from these places. The balance in their Tribhangis and their Dhrishti
was extraordinary. Even if somebody wanted to make a negative comment,
it was impossible. In the Ashtapathi I would have preferred flute instead
of the violin. The senior dancer Surupa Sen underplayed herself due to
a back injury. The young energetic threesome danced the strenuous pieces.
Lighting by Lynn Fernandez was exemplary, awesome, fabulous………..I have
no words to explain.

G Narendra
is a freelance dancer, teacher, and choreographer who has started a dance
ensemble AVIGNA (meaning no obstacles), along with Mahalakshmi, his dancing
partner. The core group consists of some excellent professional dancers.